Esme's Secret
by May Swann
Summary: Esme Platt is a manager at Victoria's Secret with no life except two best friends, an apartment, and her cat. Then one day, Carlisle Cullen entered into the store. They build a strong friendship but what would happen if his girlfriend got in the way?
1. Bachelor Hunting

_Summary: Esme Platt is a manger at Victoria Secret at Port Angles with no life except two best friends, and her sassy cat. When a customer comes into the store name Dr. Cullen (Carlisle), a friendship begins to grow but his girlfriend is in the way._

_Okay this was Ivy O'Hara's idea (one of my favorite authors) and I asked her if I could use it since it didn't get the highest votes and I thought it was be an amazing story. She said yes! But I have to get credit to her (and Stephanie Meyer ***wink*). **This story is my first story so please don't be so harsh with me. I hope you like it and get a chuckle out of you. Okay I know it's not really based on the story how Carlisle and Esme met but I wanted to make it a twist for fun. I shall do the best I could to have the same personalities._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, there I said it now I have to thank Stephanie Meyer for her amazing dream she had! =)**

Esme's POV

I hated Mondays since it feels like you started over on a new week on a never ending business. I woke up knowing it was time to work at my job at Victoria Secret in Port Angles that just opened up five months ago. I was desperate so I decided to work there as my "way of earning money" until I get a better job at Ralph Lauren or somewhere spectacular. I got promoted when my boss Barney Anderson thought I was doing an excellent job as an intern and decided to put me as his manger. The employees looked at me as if I had the perfect life or it looked like they were about to pounce on me.

I'm 25 years old, living in an apartment by myself; I don't consider that as a life.

My alarm went off a minute later after I woke up, groaning at the annoying sound it made. I had my bed mask over my eyes so I only saw pure darkness with the feeling of dizziness. My hands was trying to hit the "snooze" button but my hand kept hitting other things like my books, jewelry, clothes, etc, until I finally found my alarm. I curled my hands into a ball to slam my fist onto the alarm. It was finally quiet, complete silence. I sighed in relief, trying to go back to sleep but I couldn't since I felt guilt for skipping work.

I took off my mask, seeing light that was blinding that I had to blink several times to have my eyes focused again. I sighed, crashing my head against the pillow.

I heard a meow from my cat coming into my room, hearing her footsteps coming closer and closer to my bed. Her name is Molly, a black and white cat with a mixture of Siamese with her loud meows for demanding attention. I felt a thump on my bed with movement coming closer to my body. She went on top of my back, lying there like she was the queen of England. She always did that every morning just so I could wake up with weight on my back. She was a smart cat.

I got up slowly, forming my arms in a push-up position. I was using my arms to slowly form myself looking like a cat as Molly jumped off my back, feeling claws digged into my skin before she released. I was in a cat position, stretching my arms like a cat with my curly light brown hair dangling down. I went onto my knees, raising my arms in the air to stretch my arms one by one.

I placed my left foot down on the ground with my other foot afterwards. I was in the pink pointelle Cami and Boyshort set that was for the sleep and lounge at the Victoria Secret website. I took off my shirt and pants, leaving me with only underwear. The breeze was tingling my body with goose bumps developing on my arms and legs. I put on my white bra with the "French cuff shirt" that I thought was very attractive with London blue jeans to go with it.

I turned around to my cat while she was lying there on my white bed covers. Her purring was extremely loud with her tail swishing around the covers. Her green marble eyes were on mine staring directly at me, knowing what was happening. She could be half human.

"What do you think?" I asked her, twirling around like I was some sort of model. She mewed but it wasn't a sassy meow. I knew she was meowing a compliment. Somehow I learned her signals and tone of her meows all in one year. I was proud of myself for that accomplishment since it wasn't easy the first month I had her. I smiled, walking to my bed to put on my "knotted" shoes that I also got at Victoria secret.

I got off my bed to walk to the kitchen. I always make these healthy smoothies with protein powder to keep myself awake since when I was an intern, I would fall asleep on my job shifts. I swear Barney was so close to firing me but didn't since my best friend Ellen Meyer stood up for me. She told him I had some kind of hang over when I was partying at a bachelorette party. She also gave him the naughty details, which made him grin at me.

My kitchen had very bright yellow walls with pure white counters, tables, and chairs. The drawers were the same color as the walls with tiny flower designs on the bottom. My bright yellow curtains were hooked up with a hook to keep them from covering the sunlight. It was mucky out with the clouds all around the sky and a little light from the sun.

My refrigerator across from my sink but behind my counter contains magnets of my childhood years and my crafts I did as a child. It made me seem like I was a mother, hanging up my child's arts.

My oven, right next to my refrigerator with a microwave on top of it was a new oven I got a week ago and yet I don't know how to use it properly. I went in front of my oven to grab my blender from the cabinet at the lower section of my counter.

I grabbed my old blender I had since I was eighteen with tons of scratches on it from my cat that thinks it's her play toy. She can also be very clueless to electronics.

I grabbed my fruit from my refrigerator with tons of oddments inside like meats, sauces, dairy products, vegetables, and even chocolates.

I placed ice, strawberries, bananas, peaches and protein powder in the blender. I tried to push the "power" button but it didn't work. I raised my eyebrow, looking at all the buttons on the blender to see if I was entirely stupid that there were more steps to turn on a blender. Then I tried to press another button that was a speed button and then the power button. It didn't work.

I took in a breath of annoyance and released it like Ellen told me to do when Barney would get on my nerves. I pushed all the buttons, growling like I was some sort of animal. I raised the blender high in the air with the lid on, mixing the ingredients. The plug was a lot longer than I thought unless…_oh crap_! Then I finally realized why it wasn't working: I didn't plug it in to turn it on like you're supposed to do. I growled silently, placing the plug in to have it start and it finally worked. Wow that wasted three minutes of my time.

It worked efficiently like it usual does, mixing all the ingredients until it looks like a big mush. I pressed the "power" button again to finally turn it off in one second. I took off the lid to pour my melon color smoothie into my plastic cup. I took a sip slowly since the smoothie was all coming down at once. It made me want to gag some odd reason that it was hard to swallow. Maybe I put in too many strawberries? I tasted more of the portien powder. I grabbed the protein powder to see if it expired. It said: 5/19/09. That was a week ago!

I ran to the sink to hurl it out of my mouth since I shouldn't shallow an expired product or I might get food posioning. I still had the favor stained in my mouth and couple of strawberry seeds at the bottom of my mouth. _This is the perfect start on a Monday _I thought sarcastically.

I went to my table with my black juicy purse with all of my money, credit cards, keys, and make-up. That purse is basically my life. It's sad to think that but it's true. I'm single, hopeless, desperate, and more importantly alone. I was never this way until now.

I was such a happier person when I was dating my ex boyfriend Don York but he broke up with me because he told me that he was homosexual. I couldn't believe it but then again I reflected back on the hints. He did say that he loved Johnny Depp, but I didn't think he really _loved_ him. I felt so brainless when I really thought he was attracted to me, but he only dated me because he was attracted to my homosexual best friend name Darwin Jones and figured that the closer he was with me, the closer he was with Darwin.

Darwin also works at Victoria secret as a cash register along with Ellen. All three of us bond like the three musketeers except two out of three are actually girls and straight. I hooked Darwin up with Don and now they have been dating for two months. I was entirely happy for them but also jealous of their happy relationship.

I placed my purse on my shoulder, getting my car keys out to drive to the mall. I had to be at my job in thirty minutes and it only takes fifteen minutes to get there from my apartment. Molly went onto the table, purring with her eyes closed. I gave her a scratch under her chin with a pet on top of her head as a good-bye. I walked away from my kitchen through the living room until I reached my door. I took a last glance at my living room how neat and clean it was. I could never leave my apartment looking chaotic.

My living room had a green leather couch with woolen blankets that I sew for my cat. I also have a leather laid-back chair with a lever that can make you lie back with your feet in the air. I also had one of those old clocks that look like the clock tower in London. I was lucky enough to afford my flat screen T.V to watch my collection of movies. I've seen over millions of movies in my lifetime since I have nothing else I could do in my spare time (other than talking on the phone with my friends and my boss). I also had a fireplace right next to the T.V and paintings of art that I absolutely adored. '

I opened the door, walking out of my apartment to close the door behind me. I walked through the dark hallways with snoring echoing the halls. I heard bickering fighting with wine bottles crashing everywhere. I also heard the music from "Jaws" with screams in the background. I heard the song "Get Low" with loud thumping from above. I always ask myself why do I live here. This atmosphere is completely opposite of myself. I guess I have been depressed since my break-up but usually I'm a bright person. Maybe that's why everything seems so dark to me; maybe it's a sign.

The apartment walls were thin as glass that you can hear everything. I continued walking down the hallways with all the noises surrounding me. I saw fire extinguishers at every five doors with all colors of gum on it. Who would ever want to touch that? I guess if there was a fire in the building but does anyone respect property anymore?

I walked pass it before I hurl again, continuing my way through the dark but loud hallways. Then suddenly I heard barking with made me jump from the apartment next to me with an old guy telling it to shut up, whipping it. I heard the whip slashes, which made my heart sank. I would never treat animals in that kind of way.

I continued to walk until I finally reached the staircase. I opened the door to the staircase, glancing back at the hallways. No one was there but the noises that were around me. I went into the staircase that had a light on with white walls and white stairs. The stairs were some sort of metal that whatever you step on it, it makes an echo to creep you out. I gulped, not thinking about falling down.

I went down the stairs with my hand gliding me through on the railing. The keys were on my opposite hand, swinging back and forth as I went down. My hair kept going up and down but my curls were never out of place. I felt a tingle of breeze on my skin from the movement of my actions. I went down the stairs one by one without any interruptions allowing me to pause.

I finally reached the bottom of the stairs, opening the door to the lobby. The lobby looked like the forties with the chandlers and the old sofa had tiny cobwebs on them. It also had antique tables with an old rug that looked like it was made from China. The lobby was pure red, sort of a blood red, but it also contain a very pale white. The walls were white in one section and red on the other with wooden floor was smooth like the floor in a ballet studio.

I walked through the lobby with no one greeting me like they usual do when it was the afternoon. I paused, turning around if I could see Morris, the lobby attendant. He was snoring, sleeping on his taxes but the looks of it, drooling all over it. I shuddered that I would have drool all over my cheeks like he does.

I continued to walk out of there, opening the glass door on my way out. When I entered outside, it looked worst than I thought it was earlier with the fog casting all over so the whole city could be blind.

I saw my porche so I walked over to it with my heels still on my feet with agony thriving up and down my feet. My curly hair felt lighter with the coldness with my face completely frozen. When I sighed, I could see my breath that made me shiver. I kept shaking, running to my car for the heater. My feet were killing me more that it made me slow down. I groaned, rolling my eyes that I had to wear fashionable shoes to work. I would have worn tennis shoes instead.

I was finally at my car with tons of frost on it that my windows could have been frozen. I unlocked my door by twisting it around since I don't own one of those cars that you press a button and it's open automatically. I entered inside my car, shivering when I sat down. I grabbed my phone out to text Darwin to get me something to drink since I knew the stain in my mouth wasn't going to last all day. I flipped my phone up, scrolling down my contacts. I found Darwin's name, clicking his name to text.

**_Darwin, can you get me a latte? I had this disgusting protein smoothie and well, I threw up. I don't want to talk about it but please I need to get the taste out of my mouth! Love ya! xoxo Esme_**

I flipped my phone down, throwing it back into my purse. I closed my door to turn my car on and the heater as well. The radio blasted out when I placed my keys into drive with "You belong with me" by Taylor Swift. I moved the shift to go backwards out of the parking space. I looked back so I didn't crash into anything with my hands directing the wheel.

I was out finally out of the parking space, shifting my gear to forward. I placed my wheel back into place to drive forward with the song over. Then it was "You got a friend" from James Taylor. _Wow a lot of Taylors _I thought, irritated with my car for being so cold. The heater wasn't turning hotter; it was colder.

I was on the freeway finally with horrible drivers on the road that were doing back and forth sideways on the lanes. I honked at them while they gave me "the finger" and drove faster. I growled, driving calmly or might get into an accident.

In fifteen minutes, I was finally at the Port Angles mall on time. I parked right near the entrance to Macy's like I wanted since Macy's was near Victoria secret. I got out of the car, taking in a sigh with relief that I was finally at work. I closed the door, placing my key into the hole to lock it. I heard that thieves like stealing from your car so I vowed to myself to lock the car everytime I get out of it.

I walked down to Macy's, feeling like a model from one of those reality shows that I used to watch with my mom before I moved out. We would always compare them to ourselves on the curves, the hairstyles, the make-up, etc. I missed my mom dearly but I didn't move out soon, I would never be able to get out of there.

I entered inside with the smell of the air freshener and clothes that were on sale. I had a scent of a bloodhound when it comes to sales since I would be at the mall for eight hours. I walked through, trying to get to my store as quickly as possible before my boss yell at me like he usual does once a week. It was aggravating to stand there listening to my boss's lecture about tardiness like I was a ten-year-old.

I went through the models of beds shown there from firm mattress to comforting. My bed was in the middle, which was perfect for my back and comfort. There were only employees from different stores there, walking to their store with anxious looks on his or her face.

I was finally out of Macy's two minutes later, going down the hallways of the stores. The floor was a silver colors with square shape with escalators working efficiently that had ten or more people on it. I looked down seeing employees talking with Starbucks coffee in his or her hands, gossiping about daily lives. I continued walking down until I saw my store.

I was right in front of "Sluts R US" with tons of mannequins modeling our latest fashion that were there a week ago. _This is your life, Esme; make it worth wild I_ told myself. I walked closer, seeing Darwin and Ellen there along with Barney talking to them, drinking coffee. I saw that there was one coffee cup left. I was guessing it was my latte.

I opened the door, smiling to see my friends bright and early. Darwin walked to me with the coffee cup. He was wearing pink (I wasn't surprised) with a black tie and his nametag on the right side below his shoulder with his light shaggy brown hair. Barney left the room so it was only Darwin, Ellen and I in the room. The room was entirely pink with tons of white spots with tons of clothes neatly folded to be presentable. I put on my nametag on my shirt, sliding the pin underneath to connect to the end after I placed the pin through my shirt. It said: "Esme" and underneath "Manger".

"Here is your latte, darling," he smiled, handing my latte to me, "you look fantastic, can I borrow that after you?"

"Thank you, but I don't think it'll fit you." I smirked, taking a sip of my latte. I never thought it would taste so amazing than it usual does. It felt like I taking a sip of relaxation, having all of my stress floating away from me.

"Good morning sunshine!" Ellen ran towards me with the biggest smile on her face. She was wearing a black dress that wasn't even from this store but it really looked good on her body with her black silky long hair. "Are you ready to search for bachelors?"

"I guess so," I sighed, placing my latte on the desk gently, "but honestly, I don't think I'll find one today."

"Come on, just because of Don? He was gay!" she exclaimed, placing her coffee down, looking outraged at my response. I looked around to see if anyone heard us but no one was there. She was the loud one out of all three of us.

"I know, but that was probably a warning that I shouldn't look for anyone." I pointed out, playing with my curls, "besides, no guy would be that attracted to me."

"Esme, I know you're lonely with your annoying cat and horrible apartment, but maybe a guy will make a path to happiness. You're living in a dark cloud, lets get some sunshine" She grinned, raising her eyebrows up and down. "You're an amazing attractive woman. A guy has to be blind to see that you're not beautiful. You're the princess, you need to find your prince charming."

"I love the analogies, but lets face reality, he's not going to show up in my doorstep and appear like magic." I rolled my eyes, placing my palm on my face with my elbow against the desk. Darwin frowned while Ellen shrugged, looking out to see any customers. I took out my cell phone to see what time it was. It said eight o'clock, exactly when the stores opened. I looked at Ellen and she looked like she had a brilliant idea in her head, jumping up and down.

"Okay Esme, I'm about to give you a quest to find the man of your dreams," she began, "Here's how it goes, you're going to talk to every man that enters the store. First, you ask for his name, memorize it. Then, you're going to ask what he does for living and you're going to tell us by the signals of your hand behind your back. Then, you're going to ask if he's single or taken and you're going to signal us by a one or a two. Then you're going ask if he's straight, gay or both and you're going to signal that by an "M" for straight, "W" for gay, and "E" for both or bi. If you're attracted to him, give us thumbs up, side ways if he's okay and thumbs down if you think he's not right for you. I did this in college and it works, how else did I find Ian?" Ian is her seven-year boyfriend that wants to take things slow. He hasn't even the thought of marriage. But hey, they are in love. I can't judge them. "Memorize the job signals," she instructed, handing me the charts. I didn't know where she found it but I didn't have time to ask questions. It said:

**Chart #1**

**#1: Scientist**

**#2: Doctor**

**#3: Actor**

**#4: Cab Driver**

**#5: Life Guard**

**#6: Model**

**#7: Dancer**

**#8: Musician**

**#9: Singer**

**#10: Plumber**

**#11: Dentist**

**#12: Surgeon**

**#13: Comedian**

**#14: Paleontologist**

**#15: Biologist**

**#16: Chemist**

**#17: Bartender**

**#18: Waiter**

**#19: Fireman**

**#20: Police Officer**

**#21: Murderer**

**#22: Druggie**

**#23: Ice skater**

**#24: Construction Worker**

**#25: Stockbroker**

**#26: Athlete**

**#27: Garbage Men**

**#28: Make-up Artist**

**#29: Chef**

**#30: Baby-sitter**

**0: Neither**

**Chart #2**

**#1: Single**

**#2: Taken**

**Chart #3**

**M=Straight**

**W=Gay**

**E=Both**

I read through it and memorized it in two minutes. I smiled that Ellen had so many schemes for me to get a boyfriend. She had been trying to get me a boyfriend since my break-up with Don two months ago. She also had been dying to double date but she didn't want to be with Darwin and Don or that would have been too awkward. I didn't blame her; I would have been uncomfortable too.

"Thank you, Ellen." I smirked, placing the charts on the table, taking a sip of my latte. She rolled her eyes, annoyed that I would be laughing instead of taking it seriously. She laways thought that her idea were serious, not a way to humor someone. Ian is a funny guy but she never laughed at his jokes. I guessed she had her own humor.

A guy entered in wearing a "beanie" on his head with a heavy snow jacket that you would wear when you're in Alaska with jeans and heavy boots that made a knock on the floor when he took every step. Ellen chuckled silently while I walked up to him like I'm supposed to do. I gulped, clearing my throat to speak. He looked like one of those men with pockets in thier pockets. I know I shouldn't judge but that was in my mind.

"Hi, I'm Esme Platt, do you have any questions about this store?" I figured I should be friendly so maybe he would be nice enough to give me his information.

"Hello, I'm Paul Heath and I'm just looking." Just looking? That's…unusual.

"Paul can I ask you some questions?" I asked, embarrassed in the inside. I can't believe I was doing this to him. I placed my right hand behind my back, centering myself so Ellen and Darwin could see my hand.

"Yeah, sure I think I can trust you." he seemed very sweet by giving me a smile. He had yellow chunks in his teeth with a smelly breath. _Breathe through your mouth _I thought to myself.

"Okay, what do you do for living?" I asked him. I felt so uncomfortable doing this since this is not what I do to guys. I would get into a deeper conversation, but I didn't have time for that since any guy would be in here any minute.

"I'm a Garbage men, serving my state in my own way," he replied, sounding honorable. I placed one arm behind my back to do the signals. I signaled "27" with my hand by doing the number "five" five times and a two.

"Are you single or taken?" I felt so embarrassed asking a guy that I wasn't even attracted to but I was doing it because…why was I doing this?

"Single bird in its tree." He answered, taking his beanie off, holding it in his hand. He was bald with tons of dirt on it. It smelled disgusting that I don't know if I can stand it any longer. I signaled "one" with my hand. I really don't want to ask if he was straight or not.

"Are you gay, straight, or bi?" I asked, gulping my words down my throat so it could be locked in my rib cage until it was able to release. I flinched.

"Bi actually." He smiled, raising his eyebrows up and down. He winked at me as some sort of flirtation. I signaled an "E" with my fingers as I heard laughing in the background. I really didn't have anything to do with this guy. He was nice but he was creeping me out. He might put his arm around me if he didn't get out soon.

"Okay, how can I help you?" I asked, groaning silently. He smiled wider than he was before I asked the question.

He cleared his throat, "Do you know if that guy is single?" I was grossed out already. The picture of Don came into mind. I wanted to hurl but that would just ruin my life even more. I shook my head to get the vision out and it did. Paul's smile grew wider as if I answered his question. _Oh crap! _That wasn't my answer! I need to tell him the truth.

"Yes I know and he is not, I'm sorry." I answered honestly, hoping that he would leave. I signaled thumbs down behind my back. He frowned and glared at the same time that it was hard to tell with the expression on his flithy face. He walked out of the store without a sound except from his boots.

I ran to my friends, shuddering on my way towards them. "Ellen, that man—" I shuddered while Darwin and Ellen was laughing hysterically, giving each other high fives.

"Darwin, would you date him?" she asked him, chuckling. I saw tears coming down her eyes from laughing too hard, slowly going down her cheeks. I've never seen her laugh so hard in my life.

"Well, he's not my type." He shrugged, shuddering like I was, "I mean he's a garbage man, those men could be finding weapons, but not just war weapons…" my jaw broke open after his sentence. I covered my mouth to hide my astonishment. I had nothing else to say after that statement.

Another men came into the store with his girlfriend so Ellen told me, "don't do it" and I was relived. All the rest of the time, it was only girls coming, teenagers by the looks of them. It was better talking to girls because then I could tell them my experiences using them or advice that would make the girls a better person. I wanted a daughter or be a mother some day, talking to my child about life as an adult.

It was eight o'clock as the afternoon sped up faster than I thought it would. I did see men and asked them questions but they were surgeons, druggies, or more complex jobs that I couldn't even pronounce. They were all gay or bi except one but he was just too weird and creepy. He was a druggie. I gave thumbs down to all of them.

I never I wasn't going to find my soul mate in a sex shop but I wanted to try. Where else can I find someone? At a bar or in a retirement home? I don't think so.

We were about to close until a guy entered into the store. My eyes widened on how attractive he looked with his light blond hair with dark brown eyes. He was alone which was the perfect opportunity, but it was different this time. I was attracted to him so it didn't feel weird. He was wearing a tuxedo with a black tie like he just came back from a wedding. I noticed that there was no wedding ring on his finger, but he could still have a girlfriend. Why wouldn't he?

"Go to him," Ellen whispered in my ear, "he's the last guy tonight." I knew she was right so I walked away from the desk to go to the front of the store. I cleared my throat silently, hoping that I wasn't too nervous. I felt my body agitating, especially on my legs. I never felt so nervous or alive. He just looked like an angel descended from heaven just to be with me. I swear I saw yellow sparkling light showing that he was my soul mate with fireworks surrounding him. But I couldn't say that to him. He would look at me like I was a...I don't know.

He was looking at the underwear section, which got me really confused. He really needs some help if he was looking at girls underwear unless he wasn't...he has to be! He was too looking to be...I need to stop myself from jumping into conclusions.

"Hi, I'm Esme, how can I help you?" I asked politely, smiling to show that I was friendly. He smiled with his perfect teeth showing like he was Brad Pitt. He had an amazing smile that stuck to my mind, never able to be erased. His skin was pale as snow, blending in with his white fancy shirt underneath his black jacket. "But before you ask, can I ask you something?"

"Oh yes, ask away." He told me with his amazing tone voice. It sounded like music in my ears that made my head spin that I was dizzy for a minute. I wasn't able to focus until everything came back to me. I couldn't faint in front of this guy.

"Okay what's your name?" I asked him. I couldn't keep talking to him without knowing his name. I had to keep it simple.

"Carlisle Cullen." He answered. Carlisle, that was a good name. Cullen. I liked his last name too.

"What do you do for living?" I asked him, feeling like a professional at this now or like I was interviewing from for a job here. This was not romantic.

"I'm a doctor, working at the hospital at Forks. They say I'm most recommended but I'm not entirely sure if they are accurate." He answered with a smile. He looked like this wasn't bothering him at all or people ask him this all the time.

"Single or taken?"

"Taken, my girlfriend is coming over my house in an hour." He answered. I wanted to frown but that would give too many hints.

"Straight or bi?" He couldn't be gay if he had a girlfriend. He could be bi but I doubt it.

"Straight." He told me without an actual tone. I placed my hand behind my back to signal my friends. I placed a "two" for doctor, "two" for taken and "M" for straight. "By curiosity, why are you asking me these questions?"

I was astonished. I didn't know how to respond to that so I gulped, swallowing my fear. "No one has asked me that before, you must be very smart."

"Well I am a doctor after all." He chuckled. I blushed with sweat on my forehead. I really didn't know how I was going to speak to this guy anymore. He was this very smart guy that I couldn't have.

"Excuse me for my behavior and the personal questions, I feel so embarrassed. How about I get you free underwear?" I just realized how stupid am I to get him free underwear. Free underwear? Esme Platt, what are you thinking? No one wonder Don became a homosexual.

"No, I'm fine; I just need help deciding what to get my girlfriend for our anniversary. I saw a Victoria Secret bag in our living room and I figured she would want something from here. Do you know what girls would want at this store?" He asked me, acting nonchalant.

"Anything but I would give her a dress with a note saying meet me at this restaurant and then when she gets there, give her a rose to signal that you loved her. Oh, and take her dancing under the moonlight so she'll feel like the luckiest girl in the world and depending on how long you had been dating her, maybe propose." I suggested. I read too many romantic novels. This was my actual fantasy. But what was the point of saving it if I wasn't a guy? I couldn't plan this for my boyfriend since it just seems too informal.

"That's actually a good idea but I don't know about the proposal. I love her and I had been with her for year from tomorrow, but there are still some stuff that we need to talk about with each other to make sure we were right, if you know what I mean." He gestured his hands, kind of his way of communicating. I found that fascinating.

"Oh, of course I do. I have been in a relationship before in my life, none of that stuff is new to me at all." I told him, chuckling to myself.

"Well which dress should I give her?" he asked me pointing at the dresses. I walked over to the dresses with him following me a couple of steps behind so we wouldn't be too close. I found a beautiful dress called the "halter bra top maxi dress in print" I found on the webiste. I got the dress out from the rack of dresses with the hanger hooks over a metal bar shape of a circle. I held the dress out to show him by holding it with the hanger still underneath the shoulder strap.

"What do you think? I don't know about you but this is what I visualize when I told you my idea." I admitted, swinging the dress up and down gently, modeling it.

"I think it's beautiful," he told me as I gave him the dress to observe it more. He was checking the back part of the dress, looking at the size I assumed. "And it's her size but it's expensive."

"She needs to be treated like royalty." I reminded him, persuading him not only to buy it but also to make her night worth wild. I twirled around while he was chuckling. He had the best laugh I ever heard, better than mine. Well anyone's is better than mine but his was better than anyone I ever heard.

"You're right, I'll take it, thank you Esme." He smiled, walking the dress to the cash register. I sighed, thinking that I could have been his girlfriend. I wished I were.

He was talking to Ellen and Darwin, paying for the dress with a credit card. Darwin was trying to flirt with him while Ellen kept slapping him on his side to stop. She always did that to him ever since she found out he was gay. I think she likes him but that's just so…unusual. I closed my eyes, taking in a breath and releasing it. I don't know what I got myself into at this point.

I walked over to them to see what they were talking about that made him laugh. I guess they were telling him about what I was doing all day. It didn't matter as long as he didn't glare at them, then it was fine. But they weren't talking about what I did at all. They were talking about his girlfriend by the sounds of it. All I heard was she was blond with curly hair and blue eyes. Her name was Heather. Wait, Heather was her name? Heather Collins? I knew who she was now! She was the girl that always came here to buy thongs! Thong Heather is what Ellen and I called her. She did say she had a boyfriend. I remember her bragging that her boyfriend was a doctor! It made since! I finally knew what she was talking about all along!

Carlisle said good-bye to everyone but I wanted to give him my number just in case he needed anything. He was holding his dress on one hand and nothing on the other, swinging it back and fourth.

I ran to him saying, "wait!" and he obeyed. I was right next to him, giving him a smile. "If you need to come here again or need advice, here's my number and call me anytime." I gave him my card from the store that said, "Esme Platt, manger of Victoria Secret". It also had my cell and home number on it.

He smiled, "Thank you, good night Esme," he walked away from the store with a smile on his face. I smiled as he went away from the store farther and farther away. I knew that he was probably not going to call me but I had hope that he might. I hoped he does one day so I could see him again.

_**There will be another chapter (I hope, depending on if people liked it)**_


	2. Phone Call

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight (Esme and Carlisle) but I do own Ellen, Darwin, Barney, Don, and Ian.**

* * *

_Esme's POV_

It was Tuesday, a neighbor to horrible Monday. It was better, but wasn't good.

I was at work earlier than yesterday since Darwin, Ellen and I wanted to get everything ready for today. I was drinking my latte, sitting on a stool behind the cash register while Ellen and Darwin were standing, talking about yesterday with the bachelor hunting. He actually confessed that he liked Carlisle Cullen, which made coffee spray out of Ellen's mouth.

Suddenly, I was in a new world. It was nighttime with candles decorating the lawn and stars glittering up on the sky to make it a romantic setting. But then, Carlisle appeared in the setting. He was just standing there with a rose in his pale white hand and his charming smile stretching across his face, greeting me. I reached for his hand, but then the vision went away when I heard groans from Ellen. I looked over to see that my latte was spilled all over the floor and on Ellen's boots.

"Esme, do you realize that these are new boots that were worth two hundred dollars?" She growled, placing her hands on her hips. She was shaking the latte from her boots. I nodded, rolling my eyes on how stupid I was to daydream. Darwin was cleaning the floors with a cloth, adsorbing all the latte on it while Ellen waited for my explanation.

"I'm so sorry, I was daydreaming," I explained, stuttering as I was speaking.

"About what?" She raised her thin eyebrow. I really didn't want to answer her but I might as well be honest.

"Carlisle Cullen," I looked down at my heels that I was wearing today. I looked up to see her expression.

"Esme, he has a girlfriend," she reminded me, frowning, "I don't think he'll dump Heather for someone he barely knows well."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't think about him. There are no rules saying I can't do that."

"But do you think that's healthy? It's like eating ice cream for breakfast, it's not healthy but some do it anyway."

"Yeah you're right, but I can't get him out of my head," I frowned, scratching my nails onto the desk.

"Of course you can't. It's not easy once you set your eyes on someone. But all you need to do now is focus on work. Maybe something good would happen."

"Did you give the guy your number?" Darwin asked me.

"Yeah but that's for anything not like a invitation for a date."

"Well maybe he'll call you."

"Unlikely."

"Never say unlikely!" Ellen shouted, "You found the guy you like yesterday, even though you thought you wouldn't find anyone."

"That's true."

"Besides, Carlisle might found you fascinating and maybe wants to get to know you more as friends. I've read in romantic novels that it's better to be friends first than immediately start dating. The relationship lasts longer," Darwin pointed out, smiling.

"Oh yeah it does. How is Don by the way?" Ellen smirked. Darwin never has a long lasting relationship so Don was a whole new experience. I swear Darwin was probably the pickiest guy to pick out his dates. He dumps them a week later after he asked them out for several reasons like "his lips were too big" or "he had bad breath" or the worst one "he was fat" even though the guys are usually models or they get in great shape. I think he's in love with Don, which is great, but I wonder how long was that to last.

"He's amazing! He gives the best massages." He was rolling his shoulders while she laughed.

"I know," I mumbled. They both frowned at the same time along with a "aw". They knew how crazy I was about Don but I'm over him now. I have Carlisle occupying my thoughts so it's going to be easier to be around Don. I looked down at my black dress that wasn't even from this store. My waist was the perfect size along with my thighs thanks to my work out routine that I do three times a week. I actually looked good in my dress that I picked out for today.

"Well its time for opening time," Barney entered from his little office at the back, walking with his briefcase. He walked to the doors, opening them as twenty girls ran into the store with men walking following them inside annoyed. _I must focus on work, not on my love life, _I kept telling myself. Ellen left, walking to the customers to see if he or she needed anything. Darwin left too, talking to guys to give them advice on outfits or what to get for the ladies. I just sat there, waiting for people to pay for his or her stuff. I knew today was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was noon with only few people in the store. Ellen, Darwin and I sat around the cash register again like we doing this morning before the store opened, chatting away. She told us that a guy pinched her back for some odd reason or to get her attention. He and I laughed while she rolled her eyes, shaking her head at us for being immature. He told us that he got several numbers (even when he told them that he wasn't single). I didn't communicate with anyone really except my mind. I only said to customers, "Hello", "That would be some sort of dollars and cents" and "Thank you, have a nice day". Ellen laughed when I told her that while Darwin smirked.

"Esme, you have the best communicating skills," She joked while He laughed harder. I nodded in agreement, smiling since I couldn't keep a straight face.

"But I didn't find any point of having a long conversation with the customers," I pointed out, "What am I going to talk about to him or her?"

"Just think of a descent conversation like sales or suggestions about fashion. It doesn't have to be anything deep," Ellen told me. Someone entered into the store and everyone knew who it was. It was Ian, Ellen's slow in relationships boyfriend. He was 6'0 with short copper color hair and ivy green eyes. He was wearing a tuxedo from his work as pianist (very good one indeed) in a fancy restaurant called "Le Noir Chat" or "The Black Cat". Ian and Ellen actually live in a nice house in the suburbs, pretending to be a married couple by "Mr. and Mrs. Baker" (Ian's last name) or "The Bakers". Their neighbors are very nice to them by inviting them to barbecues or parties with cocktails and wine.

"Hey," Ellen greeted him with a kiss on the lips, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to give you lunch since I figured you were going to be hungry," he explained. He was very nice but sometimes he wasn't entertaining so he was sometimes dull. He made her laugh so he's good for her.

"That's very sweet, thank you," She smiled, "don't you have your gig?"

"Yes," he looked at his cell phone to pull it out for time, "in an hour. How about you have your break now?"

"I'm fine actually and plus I'll see you tonight," she grinned. He grinned too as they kissed again but this time with tongue. How does their candlelight still lasting? It's incredible since Ellen doesn't mind to keep things slow (unlike myself). He walked away, leaving the store empty handed with no hesitation. She sighed deeply, smiling.

"You know Esme, maybe Ellen can be your tutor on relationships," Darwin smirked, "list your boyfriends again."

"Okay there was Steve, Mike, and Don," I listed numbering them with my fingers.

"So three? That's little."

"Yes, I know unlike yours, which is twenty-three." I smirked.

"Yes I know I have some sort of collection. I actually dated a girl once."

"Really? Mr. Jones, I've never heard this story. Ellen, did you know that?" I asked her, placing my hands on my hips.

"No, I've never heard this story. Out of the three years I knew you, you never told me that you dated a girl!" She smiled at him.

"Yes, I dated a girl. I know, it's so hard to believe that a gay guy has dated a girl before he was gay." He chuckled, taking a sip of his water.

"What was her name?" I asked, interested since it never occurred to me. He placed a number one for the signal "one second" as he was drinking his water. He swallowed his last sip with a sigh.

"Okay, her name was Rachel Bloom. She was this thin girl with dirty blond hair and chocolate brown eyes that every man wanted. We met in college when we took French together. She actually sat next to me for the entire year. Yes, I liked girls in High School, big deal. I became gay in my junior year of college, and that's when I dated her, but I wasn't gay when I asked her out for a date. That was actual reason why we broke up," He explained, "she broke my laptop and punched me in the eye, which turned into a black eye. My excuse was that was gang members beat me up at the streets when I was coming home from my job as a waiter in a restaurant called "Larry's" since so many people asked about it. I didn't want them to know that I got beaten up by a girl." Ellen and I burst out laughing while he raised his eyebrow.

"Oh you're such a brave soul," I joked while he nodded, smiling at my joke.

"You know you can't fight to save your life, right?" Ellen added, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I know but I didn't want people to know that," he scoffed, "I had to be a man."

"A girly man," I laughed, lowering my head down so he didn't see how hard I was laughing.

"I'm not the governor of California," he rolled his marble blue eyes, placing his hand against the edge of the desk.

"I'm Arnold," Ellen tried doing an impression of him, "I'm the governor of California. I was in the Terminator. I'll be back." He rolled his eyes while I smiled.

"Hey, he was good looking in his younger days!" He pointed out, looking at both of us with his pointer finger pointed at us.

"Oh yes he was," I agreed, "His muscles were something, boy." I tried to whistle but I failed. My cell phone vibrated that sounded louder against the desk. I raised my eyebrow as I walked behind my desk to grab my purse. I dig through my purse as I felt my phone against my fingers. I reached it out of my purse to see that it was an unknown number. "It's an unknown number."

"Answer it," they both said at the same time.

"No! Ellen, please answer it for me!" I begged, putting the phone near her.

"No! Give it to Darwin!" she instructed, pointing at him.

"Fine since you both are such big chickens," he rolled his eyes. I stuck my tongue at him while he smiled. He flipped up my phone up to answer it before the call went to voice mail. I hate it when that happens. "Hello this Darwin, Esme's friend—Oh hi Carlisle—" my eyes widened like I was from outer space. Carlisle is calling me? Why would he do that? I gave him my number as a nice thing, I didn't know he would use it. "I'm fine thank you, you know working—yeah I know work can be stressful—" he laughed at something Carlisle said, "Yes especially with clothes. You want to speak to Esme? Okay here she is," he handed the phone to me giving me a smirk look. I rolled my eyes, smiling as I placed my phone against my ear.

"Hello Carlisle, how are you?" I greeted him politely, smiling at Ellen and Darwin. Ellen laughed silently with Darwin smiling.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just wanted to know if you would like to have lunch tomorrow as friends to get to know each other," he explained, sounding like he sounded in person; very happy.

"Oh one second, my boss wants me," I lied since I needed advice but he didn't need to know that. I placed my phone on "mute" so he couldn't hear me talking to Ellen and Darwin. "What should I do? He asked me to go to lunch with him as friends!"

"Be coy," she advised me, "because nothing gets a man uninterested than being less mysterious."

"But we aren't dating," I protested, "it's just a simple friend lunch date."

"But you want this man to be interested in you, don't you?" He reminded me, "Show you're mysterious and then Heather is out of his life for good."

"I don't want to do that!"

"Do want him though?"

"Yes but I don't want to_ steal_ him," I told him.

"She's right, you know. She's not one of the girls from "Mean Girls"," Ellen agreed, "just say yes since it's just a friendly gesture of getting to know each other."

"But that's not coy!" he protested.

"She doesn't need to be coy right now. Go tell him you're available tomorrow." She instructed. He rolled his eyes, annoyed with Ellen's answer.

"Okay," I pressed the "mute" to talk to Carlisle again. I placed the phone against my ear, as I heard no sound, "Carlisle?"

"Yes? I thought you hung up for a minute there," he chuckled.

"No, sorry about that. Yes, I think I have some time off work to go for lunch. Ellen will take my shift until I return so everything is settled." I told him, nodding my head to Ellen. She did a "yes!" gesture while Darwin rolled his eyes again.

"Great, I'll pick you up at your work, if that's okay," he instructed.

"Yes, that's fine. Okay I'll see you then. Bye." I flipped my phone down. I smiled that I got a little lunch date with Carlisle.

"Why did you give her the shift? I worked here longer!" Darwin groaned.

"Because she looks more like a "Esme" than you do. Besides, she's not going to destroy the store." I rolled my eyes. He always had a competition with Ellen, but she always wins. She laughed while he just sat there looking at me like I was insane. I shrugged while he shook his head, not looking convinced.

"I'm not invisible!" she shouted at me, using her hands as gestures.

"I'm sorry Ellen. But what am I going to wear?" I asked them panicked.

"Just wear something nice." She answered.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, but I'm serious! This is the first not official date with a guy I like!"

"Esme, men don't notice beauty. They only say "You look nice" just so you feel nice but they really don't care," He told me, raising his eyebrow, "take it from me, they don't."

"He's actually right because every time I get ready for my date with Ian, it takes me three hours to do my hair, make-up, picking out an outfit, shoes, painting my nails, etc but Ian never compliments how I look. He just says, "Lets go get drunk"."

"See? Just look casual and have fun. Don't be nervous, be yourself and he'll like you for you." Darwin smiled. I gave Darwin a hug while he hugged me back.

"Thank you, Darwin, that helps a lot." I told him as he was rubbing my back with his hand as a comfort gesture. We broke apart from the hug to look at each other properly.

"What he said," she smiled while I nodded. No one was in the store anymore but the three of us. It looked so empty that it seemed like it was morning again.

"It's so empty here," I stated, "very odd."

"Yeah it is," she agreed with me. There was a long pause between us as we observe the room. The clothes with folded horribly with underwear dropped on the ground. "Esme, should I talk to Ian about our relationship? It's moving like turtles so I'm concern if he wants it to be slow or if he's—cheating on me."

"That's unlikely that he would cheat on you like that. Yes, I would talk to him because believe me, this will drive you crazy."

"Yeah you're right because it has been more than five years. I swear couples start getting married when they have been together for at least two years, right?"

"Yes, exactly. Talk to him or Darwin and I will." I joked while he winked at me.

"Fine, I will. We should get some dinner after closing," she suggested.

"Yeah but Darwin has a date with Don tonight," I told her while he nodded.

"That's okay, we should have movie night. I'll bring over "Romeo and Juliet" and tissues," she smiled while I laughed.

"I love that movie! Wait, which version, 1968 one or the 1996 one with Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes?" He asked.

"The 1968 one."

"Good because the other one is just plain awful."

"Yeah since it was more modern and guns were involved which made it just turn into an action movie you see in theatres all the time." I stick out my tongue with disgust.

"But the horrible tights they worn in the 1968 when they have a special little stitching for men's—"

"Darwin, don't finish that sentence!" she interrupted him while I shuddered. He laughed hysterically while she slapped him on the shoulder.

"What it's true, it's like no one notices."

"Oh they notice but they don't talk about it!"

"Guys stop! You sound like an old couple!" I joked while they glared at me.

"Oh like that will ever happen," she retorted, "because some men have boyfriends."

"You're jealous of Don?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No, I have a boyfriend if you paid attention for the past three years!"

"Oh I have since that's all you ladies talk about here!"

"Well then join the conversation!"

"How? I'm a guy!"

"Really? It didn't occur to me that you were."

"Okay, stop it! This is getting ridiculous! Now apologize to each other since we are all friends here." I told them, looking back and forth at them.

"Sorry." They both said at the same time.

"That's better now lets just have a fun—" I looked at my cell phone, "seven hours together, shall we?"

They both nodded. From then on, we didn't have any arguments. People came into my store and I took Ellen's advice to have a normal conversation and it actually worked. I met a nice girl that was seventeen name Alice that loves fashion as much as I do. She had short black hair that was spiky on the bottom. She was a little shorter than I was but it wasn't noticeable with dark brown eyes and very thin black eyebrows. She was wearing a pink dress that she told me she was wearing for her date with this guy that she met at "Boarders" in line for the cash register.

She wanted a job here five minutes after I talked about how fun it is to work with Darwin and Ellen. I introduced them to Alice and they said she was very nice and would be happy if she worked with us. I gave her my card if she wanted an appointment with Barney for a job since I don't hire people.

After that, nothing else happened. It was nine o'clock at night as Ellen and I drove to my apartment to watch "Romeo and Juliet" as our movie night we planned at the last minute. Today was not a normal Tuesday; it was something better.

* * *

**A/N: So this is a little shorter but I hope you liked it :) Please review your thoughts!**

**Ivy has an award site called "TNMEBD Awards" that would be awesome if you participate :) Read more about it by clicking on my fav authors and you'll see it. **

**MS~**

* * *


	3. Lunch Date

Wednesday. Why do I keep counting down the days? It was pointless to know two more days until I get the weekend off but I'll end up back to work on Monday anyway.

I drank my coffee in the kitchen with the sun barely rising up from the horizon miles away from my apartment. Molly was snoozing in her little bed I made her a year ago with cotton sticking out from her claws digging into it.

Yesterday's date with Carlisle was incredible. We went to this Italian restaurant called "Bistro's" and had this amazing rack of lamb with rosemary sprinkled on the top. He tried mine and practically had half of it while I ate some of his grilled salmon with risotto rice.

**Flashback: Yesterday's Lunch Date**

_I arrived a few minutes late, walking in a hurry with my phone in my hands and a headset in my ear. I was talking to my hair stylist and her adamant self when I told her I had to cancel my appointment. She was unfortunate and poor, living in a two-room apartment with a yappy dog and drunken neighbors. No wonder she was a miserable old woman._

_I saw Carlisle, sitting in the surprisingly empty restaurant with a glass of wine next to his fingers. He smiled as I walked closer to him, putting away my distractions into my purse. He looked very dashing with his stainless white doctor suit and his hair neatly in place. I saw that he was just released out of work like I was, but he didn't look like he had time to change. I just hope the anniversary dinner went smoothly._

_"Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late," I apologized, feeling ridiculous, "I had to do some last minutes changes." I sat down across from him, placing my napkin onto my lap._

_"Not a problem, I completely understand," he smiled like he was a movie star in an interview with Oprah._

_"Oh how was your romantic evening with what's her name?" I pretended I didn't know her name. I didn't want him to think I was some creeper._

_"Heather," he answered, "and the night was wonderful. She appreciated everything I did for her and one thing led to another..." giving me a smile, nodding his head. I didn't see the point until something clicked. I remembered something I brought up on Monday that I suggested for him to do: propose._

_I gasped with a huge smile on my face, "Oh you didn't! You proposed?"_

_"Yes, I proposed," he smiled, seeing the enthusiasm across his face, "and she said yes!"_

_"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed, trying to hide my depression. He was now engaged? What am I going to do? The one guy that I have a crush on gets engaged! Well, I guess it's back to the bachelor hunting._

_A man came to our table (I assumed he was our waiter) with menus and a wine list. "Hello, my name is Mike and I'll be your server this afternoon. To start with, is there anything you would like to drink?" he asked me with a genuine smile that looked overly rehearsed. He was wearing an expensive tuxedo with a navy blue tie and black shoes that looked like they have never been worn. His hair was bleached color with a hint of gold that was slicked back to look fancy._

_"Water would be fine, thank you," I told him, giving him a small smile. He gave me a nod, walking away to get to another table. I sighed, glancing around my menu to see if anything sounded a bit interesting to me. I looked up at him as he was enjoying his wine, savoring it by taking small sips. I placed my menu down to look at him, fascinated to look at him. "So, what's good here?"_

_"Well, it depends what you like. Are you a fish person? If you are, I would suggest either the hazelnut halibut or the grilled salmon, which is my personal favorite."_

_I nodded, taking in his suggestion. "Well I'm not really a fish person—"_

_"That's fine. They also have their steaks, which are to die for, and their lamb chops that are well known here."_

_I looked down to my menu to read the description. "Those sound good. I might get the rack of lamb, which critics rave to be fabulous on the bottom of the description. It says "4-Star dish with excellent quality and taste". It also says under that, "Mother Theresa couldn't have done it better". I'll get that, but I don't know how big the rack is."_

_"How big is your appetite?"_

_"Unfortunately, not that big," I admitted, setting my menu down._

_"In that case, I would go with the half rack. They do carry big portions."_

_I nodded in agreement. "Half rack sounds good. You're getting the salmon, right?"_

_He nodded. "It's fantastic. You would be surprise how good it is, especially when you're not a fish person."_

_"I'll try it. I like keeping an open mind."_

_Mike came back with a glass and a pitcher with ice floating on the water. He poured the water into the glass gently and placing it onto the table. He looked over at Carlisle, noticing his wine glass was halfway finished. "More wine, sir?"_

_"No thank you. I don't want to leave the restaurant not knowing where I am," he chuckled. Mike did too, but he laughed awkwardly, looking at me thinking 'why are you on a date with him?' as I smiled, trying not to laugh. Mike gave him a nod to give a sign that he understood. He grabbed out his notepad and pen to place our orders._

_"Are you ready?" Mike asked us, having his hand get into its position._

_"Yes, I'll get the grilled salmon," Carlisle ordered politely, handing Mike his menu. Mike gently took the menu out of Carlisle's hand to place it under his notepad. He wrote the order onto his pad, nodding along._

_"What would you like as your side dish? We have rice, mash potatoes, or a side salad."_

_"Rice would be fine, thank you." Carlisle smiled, taking a sip of his wine._

_Mike was taking down the side dish onto his notepad. When he was ready, he looked up at me with his smile. "And for you, miss?"_

_"I'll be getting the half rack of the lamb," I told him, reading it off the menu. I saw him write down my order. He asked me the same question about the side and I replied, "with a side of mash potatoes and asparagus." He continued to write everything down, nodding to himself. I looked at Carlisle who raised his perfectly aligned eyebrows and stretched his charming smile that always makes me swoon._

_"Very good then, I'll get to that," Mike smiled, walking away with the notepad that had our orders on it._

_"Thank you!" Carlisle and I both said at the same time. We stared at each other, non-awkwardly, across from each other, trying to pick up every detail from our profiles. I smiled, feeling uncomfortable and apprehensive but trying to control it while he looked completely nonchalant. It was amazing how calm and natural he was but then again, he's engaged. It was opposite to my situation._

_A man came to our table with bread, olive oil and vinegar. He placed them down as we responded with a 'thank you' to him. He just gave us a friendly smile and walked away to put more bread on other tables that weren't around us. I picked up a piece of the Italian bread and carefully dipped into olive oil and vinegar. I took a bite, chewing it politely and gracefully, pretending in my mind that I was eating lunch with the president of the United States. When I swallowed it, I cleared my voice so I was able to speak again. "Thank you for inviting me here in this beautiful restaurant."_

_"My pleasure, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he smiled again that made me swoon internally. I tried to picture what he would look like when he got mad, but that seemed impossible. He just seemed like a naturally happy person._

_"May I ask you a question? Why did you decide to have lunch with me?" I asked, curious about his response. It could be any reason so I could never assume anything. He was that spontaneous to me._

_"Because I thought what you did on Monday was something I couldn't do without your help. I felt like I owed you something so I decided that we would go to this restaurant, my treat," he explained as I placed my elbows down onto the table to it comfortably._

_"You're too kind to do this for me," I gushed, feeling like I was blushing and hoping I wasn't. "You know that your fiancée is going to be jealous, right?"_

_He smirked. "I already told her about it."_

_"And?"_

_"She didn't seem to mind, but probably was thinking that I would be cheating on her."_

_I rolled my eyes quickly. "She knows you so well."_

_He laughed loudly while I couldn't help it but to laugh silently along with him. "Could you blame her?" I laughed louder than before while he continued to the laugh with me. I loved the way he laughs, so contagious and pure. I wouldn't mind getting to know him better as his friend and have these casual lunch dates often._

_"Let's play twenty questions but the twenty questions are the only questions we are allowed to ask for the entire lunch date," I suggested. It was a good way to get to know him, but now I have to think of questions. I wanted to know everything about him, but I can't fill everything with twenty questions. "Oh, and you can't ask the same question I asked you."_

_"Alright, you go first," he took another sip of his wine and then placed it back onto the table. I had to think of a question, but nothing came to mind._

_"Okay, what's your middle name?" I would never be able to answer that question._

_"James. It's so original, right?" he replied sarcastically, smiling as always. "Okay, what's your favorite color?"_

_"Pink. I love that I get to see that pink all the time in the store," I smiled as he did too. "What's your favorite movie?"_

_"You might find this weird but I loved the movie Edward Scissorhands," he told me, "the story was really touching."_

_"That was a good movie. I love the characters and the conflict," I agreed, " It's your turn."_

_"Alright, what's your favorite book?"_

_"Pride and Prejudice."_

_"I knew it had to do with Jane Austin!" I laughed while he just stared at me with a tiny smile. "You have a beautiful laugh, you know."_

_"Oh I hate my laugh! How can you say that?" I gushed while he raised his eyebrow, "It's true. But anyway, what was your most embarrassing moment?"_

_"You actually witnessed it. It was when I actually entered into Victoria Secret."_

_"Oh it wasn't that bad," I scoffed while he nodded, taking another sip of his wine._

_"Alright, I'll tell you an embarrassing moment. You see I was eight when I was with my best friend back in elementary school name Billy. Well it was senior year and we were still best friends then. We decided to do a senior prank as a signature to a good year, but we had a tough time trying to figure out good ideas. You know how men are at seventeen, stupid and all. Well Billy thought it would be hysterical to send letters home to parents saying that we are selling free condoms at our prom."_

_I covered my mouth, shaking my head. "You didn't!" he nodded as I continued, "What happened?"_

"_The prank scared many parents and it actually went onto the news. Seniors thought it was the funniest thing but parents were scared out of their mind. The principal never found out who did that prank."_

_I continued to laugh, but this time he was laughing with me. I sighed after I recovered from laughing. "Oh mine is worst."_

"_Worst than having a senior prank get onto the news? Wow, this must be good." He chuckled._

_"Okay, when I was going on my first date with Don, my ex boyfriend, I had to pick out a dress and fast. I only had an hour since it was a last minute kind of a date. So I went to this dress store called La Rose, which is ten minutes from the mall, and snatched a dress. But the problem is I didn't try it on and so when I put on the dress in my apartment, I found out the dress length was too short. It was up to my higher thighs. When I went to the restaurant to me him there, all the sudden, his parents were astonishingly there." I rolled my eyes, remembering that horrible detail._

_He smirked. "That's...embarrassing. So I'm guessing the evening didn't turn out that nice for you?"_

_"Oh but there's more! We talked casually until the waiter spilled water onto my dress. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the dress was white and thin layered. So his parents found their impression of me very well." I told him sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at me but in a playful way that made me think he was interested._

_Carlisle smiled, rolling his eyes on how absurd I was. "How again does this beat my story?"_

"_Well, at least no one found out who did that senior prank but for me, I at least experienced humiliation and well harassment."_

"_Harassment?"_

"_When I was on my way home from the restaurant, men were whistling and well tried to make attempts…" I trailed off as I took a sip of my water._

_He sighed. "I guess you're right. But good for you for getting over it quickly."_

"_Yeah," I sighed with him, "good for me." The waiter finally brought our food on his tray. Mike was showing off by carrying a huge tray with one hand. He gently placed down our plays with the smell filling my nostrils. My mouth started to water on how the food smelled delicious and appetizing. When Mike left, I cut my lamb into a small piece and popped it into my mouth. The tasted was indescribable. The flavor swam all over my mouth as I continued to chew. When I finally swallowed, I smiled with satisfaction._

"_This lamb is incredible! You have to have a bite of this," I told him as he was enjoying his fish. The salmon smelled good too, but I continued to eat my lamb._

_I found it shocking that the silence between us wasn't awkward. We were both occupied with our food to even try to strike a conversation. I sighed again, taking a sip of my water. We both stopped eating for a minute to look at each other._

_I felt jealous looking at him. I knew that it was strange but in the moment, I realized that he wasn't single. I remembered then that he has a fiancée that probably loves him to death and worry about him right now. But does she? I have never met her, but by the way Carlisle talks about her, it seemed that she truly did._

_I knew that I shouldn't be jealous. I should be happy that he found the love of his life and he was ready to spend the rest of his life with her. But why do I feel that way? Why do I suddenly want to eliminate Heather out of his life?_

_I liked Carlisle and I couldn't help that. What's not to like? He's charming, handsome, smart, funny, and has a great personality. I knew he would be a good husband and father in the future._

_Is it more than a crush? I don't know. Is it controllable? I don't know._

_Five minutes later, he offered me a bite of his salmon. When I took that bite, I felt like the world stood still. He was right after all. It made me think that I could trust him, which was a good sign._

_He loved the lamb and took at least five bites of it. I didn't mind that at all. I was glad that our meals were good and we spent time getting to know each other. I feel like we could be friends for a really long time._

_**End of Flashback**_

"You told him about the Darwin incident?" Ellen asked me, raising her eyebrow as we were sitting down in Victoria Secret. People were looking around the store but none of them were buying. Darwin was handling one customer at the cash register. It was the last afternoon with five people in the store and no one coming up to the cash register or asking for some assistance. It seemed like a very slow day.

I shrugged. "Well that was my most embarrassing moment."

"No it couldn't be. Hey Darwin!" she shouted to him as he looked up. The customer he was working on left him to leave the store. "Didn't Esme have that embarrassing moment at your parent's house?"

Ah yes, Darwin's house. Well, when Ellen and I went to Darwin's house to celebrate his parent's 45th anniversary, all I could remember that there was a lot of tequila. Darwin told me I went completely drunk and flashed many people in the house. His mother fainted and his father hardly noticed. I woke up remembering nothing until Ellen told me when she received ten numbers from men that wanted to take me out.

Darwin chuckled. "Yeah I remembered that. Esme, why didn't you tell him about that?"

"Well…I didn't need to tell him," I retorted. My first date with Don was pretty humiliating as it is. So I wasn't completely honest on the most embarrassing moment, but Carlisle wasn't really either. Yeah he was part of the prom letter to parents about condoms prank, but no one ever knew he was part of it. So why was it embarrassing? It made me wonder what was his real embarrassing moment and why didn't mentioned it in the first place.

"I thought you wanted to have a relationship with this guy," Ellen pointed out to me, "it can't work out if you're honest with each other."

I knew she was right, but she wasn't there during lunch so she was completely oblivious. She probably would have guessed that Carlisle lied and pointed it out immediately while I would have been naïve as usual.

"Ellen, I think your lover boy is here," Darwin joked while she shot a glare at him. Ellen and Darwin had a sibling relationship. They argue all the time but then they always come to an understanding. I remembered when Ellen was drunk a year ago, she admitted that she liked him but in the morning, she forgot that ever happened and denied that she would ever say that. But ever since that night, it seemed obvious to me now that she likes our gay friend.

"Shut up! Ian isn't here yet," she playfully hit him on the arm while Darwin laughed hysterically, sticking her tongue out.

"No, not your 'not ready for marriage' boyfriend. I meant the guy that had his eyes on you for months."

"Oh, what was his name?" she kept snapping her fingers, trying to remember the name.

"Tyler?"

"No."

"Paul?"

"Ew no! I didn't call him nose picker for nothing."

"Dimitri?"

"Nah. He was my college sweetheart."

"Oh yeah," I gasped. Dimitri had a thing for Ellen and went out with her months. They had to break up because he was forced to move to Italy. I had to admit he was pretty cute from the picture Ellen showed me.

"Forest Gump?" He joked again but this time I had to laugh. Forest Gump was Darwin's favorite movie and always said "Run Forest run!" whenever he saw someone jogging on the street.

Ellen stuck her tongue out. "Really Darwin?"

He sighed. "Oh I give up. Was it Alec?"

She gasped. "Yeah Alec! That's his name!" she mouthed 'yes', giving me a high five while Darwin just stood there looking outraged.

"I don't get a high five for figuring it out?" he asked while Ellen and I both laughed at his priceless expression. I loved that Ellen and I had the same sense of humor. It was no wonder that we were good friends.

"Oh sorry, all mighty one," she teased as she gave him a high five.

"Hey do you want to get some ice cream?" I asked them, "I'm sure Barney would give us a fifteen minute break."

"No that's okay. I got to watch my beautiful figure," Darwin looked down at his body. I smiled, rolling my eyes playfully.

"I'll come. Darwin, you watch our shifts okay?" Ellen instructed him as he gave us a nod.

Ellen and I walked out of the store, laughing at Darwin as he continued to think he was a model by strutting down to the customers. I loved Darwin in my own way like a big brother I always wanted. It never bothered me a minute when he told me he was gay and I actually thought it was a relieved. Now we never had to have the problem when either he liked me or vise versa. I felt sorry for Ellen, but I figured sooner or later, she would get over it. Well, at least I hope she will.

**Hey! I'm so sorry it took so long and that it was shorter than I wanted it to be. I thought I would never continue but I figured that I should some time in my life. Please review your opinions and constructive criticism. Reviews are always appreciated and loved so please don't be shy. :)**

**May Swann**


	4. Hospital

Thursday.

It was 7:30 in the morning as Ellen and I were rearranging the clothes in the PINK section of the store where we saw clothes being tossed all around the floor. I was folding the shirts nicely; watching out for unattractive wrinkles while Ellen was hanging up the light sweaters that just came in last night. They were a lavender color with black lettering saying "Love Pink" like most of the sweaters in the store with a magenta heart on the back.

We were both humming to "The Wizard of Oz" randomly the same tune but sounding horribly. We laughed every thirty seconds until we make another attempt to make the tune sound accurate.

I was beginning to feel exhausted from the night before when Ellen and I hung out all night long in my apartment playing "Speed" with a deck of cards. We had a bowl of popcorn and OK! Magazines on the table with a chick flick on my tiny screen. The night seemed endless, but we weren't tired until it was one o'clock in the morning, realizing that we had work the next morning.

I heard Ellen groan as she was standing with twenty hangers in her hands. She placed them down on top of the nicely folded clothes. "I hate morning shifts!"

I smirked, trying not to snort by covering my mouth. "You would like to trade off then?"

She rolled her eyes, swaying her head back and forth. "You know that I can't fold clothes as lovely as you do."

I smiled at her compliment. "I'm sure you can."

Darwin entered into the store wearing a black suit and his hair gelled back that made Ellen laugh hysterically. I smiled sweetly, thinking that Darwin was really helpless. He walked over to us, showing off his outfit like he was a model. "Hola ladies! What do you think?"

"Well I would defiantly not start with Hola," Ellen joked, continuing hanging up the sweaters in their right slots.

I giggled. "Yeah Darwin you're not going to play the guitar in a mariachi band."

He rolled his eyes with his hands on his perfectly shaped hips. "You're just jealous."

Somehow on cue, Ellen and I laughed at the same time. "Oh yes Darwin, I'm jealous over your attractive figure," she teased.

"Seriously Darwin, why are you so dressed up? Do you even remember where you work?" I asked him.

"I do but Don and I are going to a concert tonight," he explained to us. "I just wanted to look nice, is that a crime?"

"Probably to the fashion police," she teased again, grinning mischievously.

He glared at her. He placed his fists together and clanged them together. I raised my eyebrow while Ellen smirked. "What does that mean?" I asked them.

"It's a way to flip someone off without actually doing it," she explained, raising her eyebrows at Darwin.

He grinned. "It's something that Ellen can never pull off."

She scoffed. "I can pull it off. I just don't like to do it to people that don't know the meaning."

He rolled his eyes. "Alright where's Barney?"

"He's in his office watching his golf tournament," I explained to him. "Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to ask him if I could leave early for my date."

"I'm sure he'll let you. He may not understand, but he'll let you," Ellen assured him.

What confuses me sometimes is Darwin and Ellen's relationship. Sometimes they are enemies from different planets but sometimes they seem like a newly married couple. I was always the odd one out but somehow Ellen always pulled me into every situation with Darwin and her.

"We'll cover your shift," I added. "You don't have to ask him."

He smiled at me. "Ah thanks Esme, I owe you one."

* * *

I sat on my bed at ten o'clock in the evening, finishing "The Rescue" by Nicholas Sparks with ten pages remaining. Tears formed in my eyes over the tragic accident that happened the this guy named Mitch who died in a fire trying to save people. I placed my book down, just taking a break from an hour and a half of reading to have my eyes adjusted. Molly was on the foot of the bed sleeping, curled up into a little ball with her fluffy tail covering her eyes.

I thought about Carlisle when I was reading the book, imagining him being the guy Taylor McAden while I was Denise Holten, the woman he fell in love with unconditionally. The only differences were I didn't have an autistic kid name Kyle and Carlisle and my future would never join together. He was engaged while I remained a lone wolf in an empty apartment.

As much as I wanted Carlisle to be my handsome knight and shining armor, I knew he would never feel the way I felt about him. I didn't deny myself that I had a crush on him but I had to deny that I was in love with him. The feelings I had for him wasn't exactly described in movies. It was a harmless crush, but somehow the crush can't be erased. I tried so hard to try to look at guys differently, but I failed when Carlisle's face popped into my mind every time. What was wrong with me?

I started to wonder what he was doing right now. I could probably figure it out but then again I could be wrong like anyone else. He could be sleeping with his fiancée while the T.V was on or he could be in the kitchen washing the dishes. I thought about those scenarios and I couldn't think of any more that he could be doing right now. I wondered if he was ever going to call me again like he did before for our lunch date or was that an one time shot. Like I always say, anything was possible.

Suddenly, I heard the phone rang in my room that alarmed the cat with her ears perked up. She ran out of the room with her fluffy tail trailing behind her, making a lot of noise down the hallway. I tried to look at my phone at the caller ID but it was cell number that I couldn't trace. Should I pick it up? I knew I was out of time so my impulse told me to pick it up as I quickly snatched the phone out of its holder. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Carlisle," he told me with statics in the background. He must be somewhere where there's less reception.

"Oh hi there, I wasn't expecting anyone to call me. I know it's probably none of my business, but where are you exactly?" I asked, sort of giving a smile that he couldn't see.

I heard him give in sigh to show that he was annoyed with something. "I'm in the hospital, exhausted. I performed three surgeries today that were very risky and well...a man died in the hospital bed today from a heart attack."

I covered my mouth with my available hand. "Oh no! I'm sure it's not your fault for what happened."

"Well his family expected for him to live because they thought the hospital was some miracle place."

"Shouldn't you be home though?" I tried to change the subject. I knew that didn't work like I thought it would but hopefully the attempt was enough for him to understand.

"Heather and her girlfriends went to party at some bar." He explained. "She took me to work and used my car so we would be saving gas. So I have no car right now until midnight."

I bit my lip, feeling my moist lip against the edge on my teeth. There was a long pause to think about what to say next. Some part of me wanted to ask him if he wanted some company until his fiancée shows up but was that a little forward? I looked down, breathing in and letting out a sigh. "You sound like you could use some company."

"Well there are twenty doctors here but my shift is over for the day. But yeah, I think I would like some company. I hope it won't be too much for you since you had work all day."

I smiled. "Thank you for caring but it wouldn't be any trouble. I'll be there in a half an hour."

"Alright I'll see you then."

"Alright I'll see you there."

"Bye now," the called ended as we both hung up at the same time. I took off my enormous shirt and sweats in a quick motion, seeing them collapse on the ground next to the bed. I ran to my closet to pull out a dress that I wouldn't consider formal. I found a simple short dress that was a grayish black with a silver belt around it and fashionable boots to match it. I slipped them on, tightening the belt around my stomach to hopefully make me look a little thinner. I took a glance in the mirror and gave myself a nod. It looked casual so I was good to go. I put on a little mascara and left my room in a flash. I swiftly went through the hallways to grab my purse with money and car keys in it. I opened the door and slammed it behind me without looking back.

After I walked through the noisy hallways and the creepy staircase, I walked through the lobby with girls in their twenties drinking cocktails laughing in the background. I opened the door, looking at the beautiful crescent moon. I looked both ways to prevent getting hit by a car like an old lady would do walking across a street in a grocery store. Once I saw no one was there, I walked down the street to my car, fishing out the keys out of my purse. I cursed underneath my breath when I couldn't feel any keys in my fingers. Shit!

When I was closed to my car, I stopped to grab my cell phone. Once I did, I used it as a light to see my purse clearly. I found the keys sitting in the far corner of my purse while everything else was scrambled around. _Wasn't that just lovely_, I thought angrily.

I pulled out my keys to unlock my car door. I slipped inside, placing the key into the ignition. I drove out of the parking lot in a swift minute without any complications. Five minutes later, I entered onto the freeway with hardly any traffic so I knew that it was going to be an easy drive.

I reached the hospital twenty minutes later with less parking spots than I thought it would be. I drove around the parking lot with my eyes searching around the parking lot until I finally found one. I parked my car into a spot that was fortunately not that far to the entrance.

I walked out of my car with my purse, locking it from a distance. I felt my toes were getting pinched as I walked across the street. When I reached the entrance, the doors automatically opened for me to enter. As I walked in, I saw lots of patients in wheelchairs and family members sitting in the waiting chairs. The walls were pure white with a hint of yellow from the ceiling lights above me. I strolled towards the front desk, noticing that there were fifteen nurses scrambling back there. Some were organizing files while some were talking on the phone to make appointments. I had never seen a hospital so busy in my life.

I placed my hands onto the counter of the desk, distracting myself by fiddling with them. I looked up to see that the main lady was writing down something on her calender that her hand was blocking off for anyone to see. She finally looked up with her eyebrow raised. "May I help you?"

"Yes, do you know where Dr. Cullen's office is?" I asked her.

She titled her head towards once side. "Do you have an appointment? If you don't, then you're not aloud to see him."

I shook my head, giving her a fake smile. "No but he asked me to come if you consider that an appointment."

"I'm sorry I can't help you so write your name on the waiting list—"

"I'll take care of her," I heard a voice as I turned towards the direction I heard it. It was Carlisle with the same white suit he was wearing on our lunch date the other day. He gave me wink and smiled towards the lady at the front desk. "Thank you Wanda."

Wanda grumbled to herself, giving me a slight glare before she turned her back at me. I smiled at him, walking towards him with the continuous pain in my feet. We walked together through the empty hallways, seeing white everywhere except the glass windows, showing doctors talking to patients."I'm sorry for being a little late—"

He gave me a gesture to stop. "You're not late." There was an awkward pause that lasted up to fifteen seconds. "You look beautiful."

I felt my cheeks beginning to blush. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I want to ask you something but I'm sort of worried it'll get all awkward. I wanted to ask you out of everyone in Seattle, why did you choose to call me?" I knew it was a bad idea to ask him but a part of me kept asking about it. I knew his fiancee was at a party but he had other friends, did he?

He heavily sighed. "I'll tell you when we reach my office."

I nodded, walking beside him through the endless hallways. I saw a woman that was going through labor being dragged to the delivery room, screaming over the agony with nurses trying to calm her down. Male nurses were running through the hallways with no direction to head towards. I slightly glanced at Carlisle, seeing his content expression that made me curious. When we reached his office, he twisted the doorknob to open it. He opened the door, gesturing me to enter first like a proper gentlemen.

I entered inside, observing the features the room entailed. There was a chair that patients laid on tilted at the far back corner with a window next to it. I saw the posters of the human body with labeled organs on the sides. He had a little sink with drawers and glass cabins above it leaning against the left side adjacent to the couch. The walls were pure white like the waiting room but seemed a little more claustrophobic. I sat on the bed, looking upwards to see what he was doing. He closed the door behind him, standing next to the sink. "Would you like some water?"

I admired his hospitality and his mannerism, trying to guess how he was raised when he was a child to identify him more. "No thank you. So you were going to say..."

He caught what I was saying with a nod. "Well, I wasn't originally from here like many people would assume. Heather has lived here all her life and couldn't leave it all behind so I made the sacrifices and said good-bye to my job and family. You might find it strange but you have made it easy for me to adjust so, thank you. I find talking to you comforting so I called you to talk about things I'm not sure I can talk with anyone else."

"What kind of things?" I automatically asked him, trying to get information about him. Something about him made me anxious for the next thing that he would say either positive or negative. When I looked at him, I saw depression with a slight frown that made me entirely confused. I didn't bother to ask him because I assumed he would tell me but it looked like he wanted it to be confidential.

"I—I don't want to scare you," he stuttered, looking uncomfortable. _So much for me being such a comfort_, I thought. He pulled out a chair that was against the window and dragged it over to the other side. Once he was there, he sat down leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees.

I placed my hand onto his, rubbing my thumb in circles on the side. "Please tell me."

"I love my fiancée but there's something about her that doesn't make me...I don't even know how to explain it and I'm a doctor. I just haven't been able to sleep or think about anything important since the day I met you," he confessed, looking vulnerable with his eyes lowering down to look at his feet. "I don't know why and it's been killing me constantly." My mind went blank with astonishment, trying to register new information that didn't seem realistic. I knew what it meant and I never thought he would say it. It amazed me that two unexpected people met and started to have childish crushes on each other like they were the only people in the universe.

I smiled, feeling heat in my cheeks and sweat sliding down my neck. "Carlisle, you're not the only one."

He looked up at me, widening his eyes. "Really?"

I nodded. "For the past couple of days, I haven't been able to eat."

"Don't try to be anorexic, it's not good for your health."

I smirked, trying not to laugh. "Oh Carlisle, I have to tell you something," I stopped myself, feeling the anxiety raising up a level. He looked like he was waiting for me as I let out a sigh. "I like you...I like you a lot."

He bit his lip, making me even more embarrassed than I felt before. "You do?"

I closed my eyes, nodding my head slowly. I knew I should be ashamed to like an engaged man, but it wasn't something I couldn't prevent. It just happened like anything ordinary. With my eyes shut, I just to have words come out of my mouth. "I know it's too soon to realize it but I have never felt this way before and I just-" I felt pressure on my lips that interupted my explanation. I didn't open my eyes but instead, I inhaled through my mouth and exhaled with my lips molded against his. He kissed me! I couldn't believe it, but I had to question why he would ever do that. The kiss stopped when his lips released mine a minute later. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me differently than usual. I managed to say "wow" with a sigh, smiling like a girl after a workout.

He gave me a tiny smile. "Esme, I like you too but I can't break up the engagement."

I lowered my head down, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact. "I know you can't and I'm not asking you too. I just felt like I had to tell you before I would regret it for the rest of my life."

He placed his hand onto my chin to raise it up. "Would it be a crime if I kiss you again?"

"Yes," I pressed my lips against his, feeling his lips reuniting with mine. His tongue slithered into my mouth to play with my tongue sexually. I felt his hands sliding through my hair, having his hands land on top of my ears while my arms were wrapped around his neck.

Ten minutes later, we were still making out in his office but I was sitting on the patient chair while he was standing there blocking the light from the ceiling. Suddenly, we heard an unexpected knock that shook us. We released out of our kiss with eyes widened. What if Heather was there seeing me making out with his fiance? The feeling of panic shot down through my veins like an endless roller coaster. He cleared his voice, walking away from me by a few steps. "Who is it?"

"It's Wanda," she hollered. "Your fiancee is here early because her friend is unconscious and needs you immediately."

I saw him silently sigh with relief. He may have been relieved, but his eyes widened with fear. "Alright, thank you Wanda." I heard her grumble in response, bringing a smirk onto my face. He turned around to look at me. "I'm so sorry I have to go."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't want you to be in trouble with your fiancée. Besides, her friend needs you."

"How about I'll come to Victoria Secret tomorrow and we can go out for lunch," he suggested.

You want to date me even though you're in love with your fiancée? He would be categorized as a cheater, which made my stomach sink. I didn't want to be the reason for the relationship to be over. "Yeah, I would like that," I slipped out without any thought. What was I thinking? I thought I didn't want their relationship to be over? What was wrong with you Esme?

He smiled. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." He gave me a kiss on the cheek that wanted me to tattoo it to last forever.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review! :)**

**{May Swann}**


	5. Typical Men

Friday.

"He kissed you?" Ellen shrieked the next day after I went to the hospital. Darwin was sitting on the desk top while Ellen and I remained standing facing each other. I nodded, taking a sip of my hot coffee. She looked confused as I felt on the way home from the hospital. "So he's going to cheat on his fiancée?"

I shrugged, feeling unsure myself. "I really don't know. I don't want him to—"

"But he is," Darwin interrupted me, swinging his legs back and forth between us. "That's how men are. They are animals with raging hormones."

"Like you?" Ellen smiled.

"Yes, like I am. I'm not ashamed to be a man and hell, I have some hormones. I'll never forget my first wet dream. It was in eighth grade with a dream of Cindy…ah Cindy," he hummed, giving in a sigh.

She chuckled. "Too bad you're a gay man, Romeo."

He shrugged. "I could possibly be a bisexual male—"

"Okay Darwin stop!" Ellen interrupted him. She turned her head to see that Ian entered into the stop and at that moment, she ran over to him with an embrace.

I sighed as I took a sip of coffee I bought earlier. I watched Ellen making out with her slowly developed boyfriend. I chuckled, seeing the way Ian looked like he was going to suck her brain out of her head and she was going to accept it. Those lovebirds are never too careful around their surroundings.

Darwin made a puking noise that made me turn the opposite side. "I have never seen them to be so passionate before. What got them to start?"

I scoffed. "What are you talking about? They have always been passionate to each other."

"Not the way they are right now," he huffed. "So what else did you do with the doctor last night? Did he do an operation on you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No all we did was kiss. He kissed me again before he left for his fiancée."

He sighed. "Typical men."

Darwin walked away from me to head towards the restrooms. I looked straightforward to see that a customer was walking towards me. It was a male and to my astonishment, he was alone. He placed down woman lingerie and a dress that sort of reminded me of the dress I chose for Carlisle. "Hello sir." I scanned the tags from the lingerie underneath the scanning machine.

"Can you make sure you have the receipt in the bag?" the stranger asked me. "It's a gift and I want to make sure she can return it if it doesn't fit her."

"Yes, of course," I nodded as I pressed the enter key to get the total price. "The price comes to $353.85."

He reached in his pockets and grabbed out his wallet. He gave me three hundred bills and a fifty. He fiddled in his pocket for pocket change. He dropped the coin change in my hand for me to count it. Five…fifteen…forty…forty one…forty two…forty three…forty eight…is that it? He was thirty-seven cents short and he expects me to accept it? _Yeah I'll accept it…when I'm about to be fired_.

"Sir, you're thirty-seven cents short," I pointed out to him. I wished he were able to walk out but I didn't want to pay Barney any more money.

"Oh well that's all I have with me. Can I come back with the thirty-seven cents later? It's my girlfriend's birthday and I procrastinated on getting her a gift."

Typical men. Typical men indeed. "What's her name? I can surely send it to her," I suggested. "When you pay the thirty-seven cents." I knew it shouldn't be a big deal but Barney loves his money and doesn't want to waste any of it. He would die if he found out the customer didn't pay thirty-seven cents.

"Her name is Heather Findley. But I wouldn't suggest sending it to her." Heather...that name sounded familiar. Where did I hear that name before?

I raised me eyebrows. "I don't mean to pry, but is there something wrong? Our delivery system is not that terrible so I'm sure they'll send the gift on time."

"No, she just lives with her fiancé who she doesn't love. He's a doctor, after all so I wouldn't expect anyone to fall in love with him."

_Oh my god! Heather is Carlisle's fiancée! She's cheating on him! How could she do that? Especially with a guy who doesn't have thirty-seven cents! Oh how am I going to tell Carlisle? I have to tell him…don't I?_

I blinked, breaking out of my mental trauma. "Actually, I'll let it go. After all, it's only thirty-seven cents."

A smile swiftly crossed his face. "Gee thanks, lady."

"You're welcome," I gave him the bag filled with lingerie. "Have a good day, sir."

He walked away from the cash register towards the exit. I covered my mouth with guilt about what I just heard. _Poor Carlisle_, I thought. Is this why he was okay with kissing me? Did he know about this? Should I tell him regardless?

Darwin came back from the way towards the restaurant. "Hey Esme, who was that?"

Still covering my mouth, I shook my head. "You don't want to know."

"What? I can't hear you." Oh right, my hands were covering my mouth. I was too in state of a shock to thinking rationally.

"I said you don't want to know," I translated to him. "It's terrible."

"What's going on?" Ellen walked towards us. Ian was nowhere in sight so it was easier to talk about Carlisle in front of her. Ian was never that comfortable to talk about gossip because he always had that guilty look on his face like he committed a crime.

I winced. "Carlisle's fiancée is cheating on him."

They both gasped at the same time like it was planned. I nodded shamefully while they continued their shock through their expressions.

"Wait, Heather is cheating on Carlisle?" Ellen tried to get it all straight. "So what you going to do? Tell Carlisle?" It was like she was reading my mind about the questions I kept asking myself. It was no wonder we were such good friends.

"I don't know should I?" I asked them in a panic. "He'll hate me and won't believe me because I told him I liked him."

"You told him you liked him? Esme what the hell were you thinking?" She asked me disgusted. "You never tell a taken man that you like him."

"Well I couldn't keep in any longer."

"It's been a week, dear."

"You have to talk to him," Darwin pointed out. "I mean it's his fiancée. When do you expect him to find out about his cheating fiancée playing hooky with some creeper?"

I exasperated. "Ugh well then what do I do? He wants to me see me tonight!"

"Oh you have to cancel," Ellen said, shaking her head in approval. "I mean you can't go through the guilt with him not knowing about his fiancée."

"Do I call him now?"

"Yes and if he doesn't pick up, leave him a message," Darwin advised.

"Do I call his house or office?"

Ellen hummed. "Office defiantly."

Darwin's mouth gaped. "Wait his office? No, no, no I say his house."

"But what if his fiancée is at the house? It's mighty risky."

"I don't even know if it's the right Heather," I infuriated. "The man said he had a lover who's engaged to a doctor. Can it possibly be someone else?"

She scoffed. "No of course not. Do you see any Heathers dating doctors to you?"

Darwin rolled his eyes. "Look, just call the dude and say 'Hey so I can't make it tonight but I would love to take a rain check' or whatever you want to say to him that'll make it believable."

I reached for my cell phone in my purse. I finally phone it along with my blush. I flipped up my phone to dial as Ellen bit her lip while Darwin had a serious look to his face. I listened through several beeps that got me a little impatient.

"Hello this Barbara," the lady said on the phone.

"Hi is Doctor Cullen there today?" I asked her, biting my lip in apprehension.

"I'm sorry but Doctor Cullen is with his fiancée right now and requests not to have any phones calls at this time. I can leave a message if you would like me to do so."

"No, that's quite alright. I'll leave a message at his house but thank you though. Good-bye," I shut my phone, sighing in relief that the phone call was over. I looked at my friends who where frowning at me. "Now what do I do?"

Darwin tilted his head towards one shoulder. "You're screwed."

"Thanks Darwin, I'm loving the support."

"You can't call the house, Esme unless you want to see his fiancée with a gun in her hands," She defended him in a certain way. "I say you ditch him and let him call you. Just be coy and say 'I forgot' or some excuse you improvisation on."

I sighed. "You're right, I'll just ditch him. I can't let his fiancée hurt him."

Ellen gasped, being overly dramatic. "Esme Platt, you have never ditched anyone before! Oh how are you going to deal with the guilt?"

I mimicked her. "You're hilarious, Ellen."

"Well what do you suggest that doesn't have to do with your morals?" Darwin asked me in a serious tone.

I shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I don't have his cell...do I?"

"I swear he gave you his cell. Check your purse or something," She told me impatiently.

I picked up my purse from the ground to see if Ellen was right. I fiddled through my bag filled with make-up and gadgets I hardly used but kept for security reasons. I finally grabbed my cell phone out of my bag that was underneath my wallet. I looked through my contacts and I had his cell number after all. It's funny when Ellen can be right at times.

"I guess I do have his cell number. Should I call him?"

"Yes!" They both yelled at the same time.

I dialed his number and pressed "send" for the call to happen. I waited through beeps that built up the apprehension. Was he going to pick up or have me leave him a message? Beep...beep...beep—

"Hello?" I heard him say, making me shook in place.

"Hello Carlisle, it's Esme," I sounded like an abandoned orphan from the foreign movie Ellen let me borrowed. The orphan was this monotone girl who didn't have any sight of emotion because that's how her parents raised her. It was a defiant waste of my ninety minutes.

"Oh hello Esme, how are you?" He sounded incredibly friendly. I wondered if Heather was around or not.

I pulled together a smile. "I'm rather well, thank you. Are you with someone right now?"

"No actually Heather left five minutes ago. Would you like to grab a drink with me? I can meet you at your work."

I looked at my friends whom encouraged me to continue to talk to him with their childish gestures. "Sounds like fun. I suppose I can use a break."

"Sounds good. I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright then."

"Bye Esme."

"Bye Carlisle."

We both hung up at the same time like it was prepared in a play. Darwin sarcastically applauded while Ellen rolled her eyes at me. "What did I do?"

"Well I know the winners of the most boring conversationalists are," He teased. "Seriously? 'Alright then' 'Bye Carlisle'. Do you know how to create a fascinating conversation with someone?"

"Yes I talk to both of you all the time," I answered him, defending myself.

She looked at Darwin. "She has a point."

"Alright then," He mocked me, walking away from us towards the "Pink" section. He pulled out a sweater with pink lettering sewed on, holding it as if it were garbage. "This sweater describes your conversation."

I laughed at him. "You're unbelievable, you know that? You just love to meddle into my life."

"We were just helping you, Esme," She smiled. "But obviously Darwin just showed his aiding skills in a terrible fashion."

Darwin curled his lip. "Nicely said, our resident politician."

She gave him a dirty look. "I was just saying—"

"What should I wear?" I interrupted her, giving her a apologetic expression.

"Just wear what you have on, don't you think Darwin?" She asked him.

He hummed in inspection. "I suppose because you shouldn't overly dress yourself to ask for it. I say you stay in your black dress. You look quite lovely, by the way."

I beamed. "Why thank you, Darwin. Now I'll go ask Barney for a break."

"We'll take care of that for you, Esme," Ellen chirped, handing me my purse. "We want you to go on this date with Carlisle."

"But wouldn't Barney fire me?"

"Like we said Esme, we'll take care of it. It's not everyday you go on a date with some hot doctor," He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes, smiling at them. "Alright, thank you both. I'll text you about it." I grabbed my purse, walking around the desk to head towards the exit. I waved good-bye and left for an interesting drink.

* * *

"Two Budweisers," Carlisle ordered the bartender at a sport's bar. Without an noticeable expression, the bartender nodded as he started to make the beers. I looked at Carlisle, seeing that he looked furious and impatient, which was unusual to me but appropriate. The bartender delivered us our beers with a distracted expression from looking at the television, watching the ESPN channel. We were at a sport's bar in the mall a floor from Victoria Secret called, "Pete's Sports Bar" owned by Pete Pecker.

I raised my fishhook eyebrow. "Tough day?"

After taking his sip of beer, he sighed. "You have no idea." He was right about me not knowing what he was going through. He had a difficult situation between a girl he trusted and a girl he just met while the girl he was in love with had an affair. I swear his life was an A-Rated soap opera.

I chuckled silently. "How's the engagement coming? That should be exciting."

He smirked. "It should be but it isn't. Heather told me that she had been cheating on me for a year now."

I widened my eyes. "A year? How could have she kept that affair for a year?"

"Apparently he was her best friend since high school. She's now thinking about either she's coming back to him or me," he rolled his eyes. "It shouldn't be too difficult."

I took a tiny sip of my beer. "Well if she chooses her best friend, then let her. There's nothing you can do about that."

"You're right, I'll leave it to her. I just couldn't believe that she would lie to me like that. I mean I told her what happened at the hospital yesterday."

I bit my lip. "How did she react to that?"

"I'll admit, it was a bit rough at first but then that's how she confessed. She wasn't entirely mad at me because I didn't slept with you unlike what she did, if that makes sense." It amazed me that she wasn't entirely mad because it showed me that I misjudged her. I thought she was a needy person that demanded special attention but who knew that she didn't entirely need it.

"It actually makes sense," I admitted. "So what was the solution to all this?"

He took another sip of his beer. "She hasn't decided on whom she rather spend the rest of her life. The engagement isn't entirely off but it isn't entirely on either. It's a strange solution but she thinks it suits everything well."

I looked at the television, pretending to be watching a game. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

I looked at him, noting his facial features. "What am I to you?"

He looked at me, scooping my bangs behind my ears. "You're a beautiful woman, Esme. I would hate to have you in the middle of this matter."

"But aren't I already in the middle of this? She knows about me."

He shook his head. "I didn't say who the woman was."

I stared at him. "You lied to her?"

"I didn't lie exactly. She never asked about the name or the occupation," he explained. "I didn't have to say anything about you but talk about the woman."

"So she never asked for a name? So you both lied after all."

"It's not important who it was. The important thing is what happened rather than the person."

I squinted. "Are you sure about that? Just tell her who I am."

"It doesn't make a difference, I assure you."

"Carlisle, what do exactly think about me? Am I this...random girl you just met?"

He shook his head. "You're more than that, Esme. You're more than that."

* * *

**A/N: A little confusing? Feel free to PM me. Did you like it? Feel free to tell me what you liked about it. Did you not like it? Feel free to tell me on what I can improve on.**

**MS~**


End file.
